Starting from Scratch...need gameplan

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Starting from Scratch...need gameplan

by Operations15 » Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:03 am
Hi,

I started my Gmat studying in January and took a prep course with Veritas while doing it. I was averaging around 630 on the practice CATS so I didnt worry much. However the week before the exam I took the GMATPrep official test and got a 490 which scared me to death. I talked to my instructor and he said you probably hit a wall and this was an outlier.

So I continued studying the following week and looking at flashcards and the big day came yesterday. The test I thought went amazing especially the verbal but when I got my score I was floored. 500 (q29 v29). Those 2.5 months of studying all down the drain. I knew I did bad on the quant but I didn't think it was the same for verbal.

Now I don't know what to do and where to go from here. I work in Operations at the largest megabank in the world (you can take a guess :) ) My goal is to go to Johnson where my manager went. But when I spoke to my instructor he said maybe MBA isn't for you and you should just focus on your career. I work M-F and so I rarely get time to study except for weekends and those days I am taking prep classes.

I'm thinking about studying from now until June and taking the test in late July. However this time I will take it with ManhattanGMAT because I heard there CATs are a very good predictor. I realize I'm starting from scratch so does anyone have any advice/game plan I can use? I want to do what bb suggested which is focus only on quant from now until May and then verbal from May until June. In between do a practice CAT every other week.

Any suggestions on how I should go about my studying? I know taking the GMATs again is frowned upon but I have no choice. I can't live the rest of my life knowing I never got an MBA because of a test. I woke up this morning with almost a panic attack worrying I will repeat the same disaster again.

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:45 am
I'd ignore the "advice" about abandoning your MBA dreams - this is just a setback. Moreover, it's a setback that you can overcome. Just check out the I Just Beat the GMAT forum, and you'll find plenty of people who started at 500 and later achieved remarkable scores.

As far as a game plan is concerned, you should consider signing up for BTG's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day you will receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent
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by Operations15 » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:14 am
Thanks Brent. I just signed up for the study guide. I'm thinking of giving myself a break for one week and then starting Manhattan GMAT prep and taking it from there?

Good plan?[/list]

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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:23 am
I see nothing wrong with a week off :-)

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Brent
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